During the past year, participants engaged government officials, activists, media insiders and farm leaders on pressing local, state and national issues. Among the topics were government structure and spending, regulations, the environment, animal welfare, international trade and public relations.

“Ohio Farm Bureau is committed to the success of AgriPOWER and believes that there has never been a more important time for people to stand up for agriculture and tell their stories,” said Sandy Kuhn, AgriPOWER director. “This is really the purpose of AgriPOWER as graduates are trained to become the future leaders and advocates for agriculture."

Prior to graduation, participants developed goals for using their training to effectively impact public policy. At graduation, AgriPOWER Class III presented Kuhn with a $1,000 check to help with the funding of Class IV. “They have truly learned the power of paying forward,” Kuhn replied.